


Adam's First Kiss

by AnotherHomosexualMale



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, High School, M/M, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24102094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherHomosexualMale/pseuds/AnotherHomosexualMale
Summary: Mira certainly wasn't Adam's first kiss.
Relationships: Adam/Reeve (The Hollow)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 252





	1. Adam

"You're grumpy," Reeve says and pokes Adam in the ticklish spot under his ribs. "Er. You're grumpier. You're always grumpy." They are sitting on Adam's bedroom floor, Adam's legs folded under him and Reeve half-seated, half-laying, his head rested against one hand. They've finished a movie and they're trying to decide which videogame to play when Reeve interrupts the discussion with his observation.

"I'm not grumpy," Adam says with a huff.

"Right now or in general?" Reeve teases. His fingers come into the proximity of Adam's ribcage again and Adam shifts back as fast as he possibly can to escape the upcoming attack. "Spill, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." There are very few times when Adam is willing to share his trouble and this isn't one of them. He doesn't like talking about his troubles, plain and simple, and looking weak.

"Adam." There's a lot to be said with one word if you use the right tone and Adam has known Reeve long enough that he knows all of his changes of inflections and knows exactly what Reeve is saying.

He sighs. It's not as if he never comes to Reeve with his trouble. They've been friends for years and surely there have been a few times when he admitted he needed help before Reeve had to pull the words out of him painstaking, one by one. Surely there have been. He simply can't recall a moment like that, that's all. But Reeve is looking at him with his face scrunched in concern and Adam knows that if he leaves him in the dark any longer, Reeve will start coming up with all sorts of horrible scenarios all by himself. There is no need to cause him any more stress.

"It's the play," he admits with and awkward shrug. It's not a big deal, this trouble he is having. It's just embarrassing, that's all.

Reeve nods slowly. He sits up properly and waits a beat for Adam to continue, but when he doesn't, he prompts: "Do you need me to run your lines with you, man?"

Adam isn't even sure how he's ended up involved with the school production, and it is nice feeling to be needed. The play itself is... not good, not good at all. It's written by one of the Seniors and it's equal part pretentious and boring in its attempt to be artistic.

It isn't that that bothers him, however. There's just this one particular scene he can't quite get over having to perform. The thing is, there is a kiss.

He is expected to kiss this girl named Kathy, whose character's love interest he plays, repeatedly during the rehearsals and the performances.

And he has never even been kissed before.

So he is understandably freaking out a little. Not so much because the idea of kissing for the first time with other actors' eyes on him is awkward, though it is. Mostly he just doesn't want to mess it up and make a fool of himself if he drools on Kathy's chin or misses her mouth completely or crashes their foreheads together or something. But he isn't going to tell Reeve all of that.

Instead he nods in response to Reeve's offer and hopes that agreeing to let him help with the script will be enough to satisfy Reeve's need to help out.

"Just let me get the script," he says and gets up to his feet to find his bag and pull the papers out. He already knows his lines almost word for word, his memory has always been one of his best assets. Therefore, it doesn't matter that he only has one copy.

He hands it to Reeve, who flips through it. "You play Oscar, right? And I'll be... everyone else." Lifting his gaze up to Adam's face, he offers him one of his most charming grins.

"I mostly have scenes with this character named Amanda?" he says and immediately feels a blush creep into his cheeks. Amanda's the one Kathy plays, the one he has to kiss at some point.

"Alright," Reeve says and looks down to the papers in his hands again, searching for the name Adam has provided him with. "I'll be Amanda, then."

Fifteen minutes later, it's proven beyond doubt that Reeve is actually the better actor between the two of them. He reads his - Amanda's - lines with straight face and appropriate intonations while Adam tries not to laugh about all of it. The play itself but also Reeve's performance and the fact that his friend is playing his girlfriend. Reeve isn't even trying to pretend to be a girl, no attempts at falsetto, he simply acts his part.

"I was waiting for you," Amanda says with a slightly hysterical edge to her words. Reeve shifts a little more into Adam's personal space as he reads the lines. They aren't going through the spatial directions in the script, but he moves closer anyway. "I would have stood here and waited for you until I was old and shriveled, but I knew you'd come…”

Yes, the play is bad.

"What if I hadn't come?" Oscar asks between Adam's repressed laughter.

"Then I would have come to you…” Amanda says and leans in for the kiss. Reeve stops with his face inches away from Adam's, his breath tickling Adam's cheeks. "And then they kiss," he says matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Adam mutters, not feeling like laughing anymore. All the desire to giggle has disappeared. He can't repress the dark shadow that passes over his face. "Yeah, then they do that."

Reeve sits back on his heel and looks at his with a studious expression. "Is that what's bothering you?" he asks after a beat.

Adam is blushing when he shrugs and then nods and then shrugs again. The awkwardness he feels must be reflected in all his movements because Reeve has that smile on his face, the one that says I would feel sympathetic for you but your struggling to accept something is bothering you is amusing right now because it's not one of the scary situations. It's not a big deal and so Reeve isn't irritated by Adam's hesitation to come out with what's bothering him, he is amused.

"Stop laughing," Adam says, and his frown only makes Reeve grin widen.

"I'm not laughing," Reeve argues around a laughter he is repressing. "Here I was worried you'd got himself in some serious shit again and in the meanwhile it's all about you... what? Being embarrassed about kissing Kathy?"

Adam huffs and folds his arms on his chest. His ears are burning and he hates it.

"Aw, Adam, don't be like that." Reeve pokes him once again and shuffles back to his side, his breath once again on Adam's face. What a good thing the jerk loves chewing gums. "I'm not laughing at you. It's just—You’ve never kissed a girl before, so you think you could screw it up? is that it?"

"Not the issue," he sighs. Now that Reeve's started really prying, it's simply easier to come out with all the facts. "It's just... I've never, you know? Kissed anyone."

"Really?" Reeve blinks rapidly as if this was a brand new information to him. Which it can't be, because if Adam had kissed anyone, Reeve would be the first person to know.

"You act like it's a surprise."

Reeve gives him a one-armed shrug. "I just never thought of it, I guess... What about that boy from seventh grade? Daniel Jacobs-?"

“I’ve never kissed a boy, Reeve. Much less a girl.”

Unlike Adam, Reeve has kissed lots of girls before, and done other things, and then he proceeded to tell Adam all about it. Often in excruciating detail.

"So you see what my problem is," Adam says and tries to sound nonchalant about it, though nonchalance really isn't what h feels at the moment.

With a nod of agreement, Reeve says: "Right. It's awkward to get your first kiss like that."

That's true, but the prospect of that doesn't really bother Adam that much. Not like the other thing does. "I'm just worried that I'll mess it up. Make an idiot of myself in front of everyone."

Understanding, true understanding, spreads over Reeve's face. He frowns in concentration for a moment and then he grins. "Well, there's an easy solution to that."

An arch of an eyebrow. "Really? Enlighten me."

"You just need to learn to kiss before you're expected to rehearse with Kathy. Get your first kiss over with before that."

Adam chuckles unhappily. "I've got two days. But sure, I'll just proposition one of the long line of my admirers…" He has always tried to not be bitter about how invisible he is to a lot of guys, at least for dating purposes, since he came out of the closet in fourth grade… but he can't help it. It hurts.

Reeve smirks. He leans back on his hands and looks at Adam like he's about to propose the craziest scheme. He doesn't get that look often, Adam's usually the one with outrageous ideas, but when he does, it's usually worth paying attention to. "I’d like to help." he says.

Adam stares at him for a moment before he bursts into laughter. "Oh my god... Reeve, shut up..."

Reeve waits for him to stop laughing. When that finally happens, he says: "I do, though."

"You do what?" Adam says, confused and wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Help you. To teach you how to kiss."

Once again, Adam is rendered speechless for a moment by his friend's words. It's not the most absurd suggestion that was ever made between the two of them, but it's definitely not something he was expecting. Besides, do people actually do that? He's heard about friends practicing kissing together but he always suspected it was just an urban legend or something.

"You want to kiss me," he says, disbelieving.

"I want to save your sorry ass," Reeve corrects him. "But if you don't want to... If you're too chicken, perhaps..."

And damn him and his ability to push Adam's buttons. Even Adam knows exactly what Reeve is doing - it's not exactly subtle - he can't back out of a challenge. It's how they are wired.

"Okay. Fine. We can do this."

Reeve snorts. "How nice of you to allow me." But without a moment of hesitation, he is already moving so that he's sitting right opposite Adam, their knees bumping together.

Adam can't believe they're about to do this. It's not something he's ever expected to do, kissing Reeve. Sure, his friend is a handsome guy, and now that Adam's thinking about it, he does have a very kissable set of lips. But you don't go around thinking about making out with your friend… Adam had learned to understand that as an openly gay kid in High School, his market for dating was much more limited than Reeve’s, and he had to live everyday with other boys who accepted him as gay, but wouldn’t date another guy themselves.

Adam's sitting back on his heels, frozen in place, his cheeks burning; he has no idea what to do. It's Reeve who leans forward, rests his palms on Adam's thighs, and brings his face close to Adam's.

"No one'll expect you to straight-out make out with her, right?" he says. "So you only need the basics."

Words having abandoned him, Adam simply nods his head in response.

"Alright," Reeve whispers. He brushes the tip of his nose lightly against Adam's - and Adam's shocked by the sudden jolt it sends down his spine. He isn't sure what has just happened, but he doesn't get to dwell on it, because Reeve's already leaning his head to side and then his lips are on Adam's. Adam's closes his eyes because he remembers that that's what he's supposed to do, but otherwise he doesn't move. Reeve's lips are warm and soft and there's barely any pressure in the touch.

It lasts a few short seconds and then Reeve pulls back a fraction of an inch and chuckles. "Yeah, you probably want to, you know, kiss."

Adam opens one eye just to give Reeve a dazed look, but he nods. "Yeah, okay... Let's try this again…"

Reeve snickers, and then his lips are back against Adam's mouth. It's different this time, with more pressure and Adam knows he's being kissed. It's gentle and soft and like a caress but not... Adam tries to mimic what Reeve's doing, move his lips against the other boy's, and he feels Reeve smile. A set of warm fingers brushes his cheek and then the hand cups the side of his jaw. Reeve shifts to a better angle and he guides Adam to move with him.

When Reeve breaks away, Adam barely represses a disappointed sigh. He really could get used to being kissed like that. But Reeve slides his hand to the back of Adam's head and rests their cheeks together. It's warm and intimate and safe and Adam isn't used to feeling like that, not even around Reeve, but it's nice.

"So, that's the basics," Reeve says and Adam can actually feel him speak. "You might want to relax a little more but you're natural otherwise."

Adam allows himself an embarrassed sound. "Yeah, well, I couldn't be sure you wouldn't bite me or something…" he says, however, in a failed attempt to save his dignity. He knows Reeve can see right through him, but he likes to keep the facade.

With a snort, Reeve turns his head enough to peck Adam's cheek. That's new, too. "Do you want to practice some more? You know, so that it comes naturally. Without the tension..."

Though he still wonders whether kissing for practice between friends is actually a thing that happens, Adam is pretty sure it should come with a lot more awkward giggling and teeth clacking together. He isn't complaining about the way they're doing it.

He nods. "Yeah, okay." It comes quieter than he meant for it to. A little more eager, too. He hasn't meant to spend his afternoon kissing Reeve, but damn, kissing feels good and if it's on the offer, he's happy to continue with it.

Without a vocal response to Adam's agreement, Reeve joins their lips again. His hand is still resting at the back of Adam's head and he uses it to pull Adam closer. This time, Adam lifts his own hand to Reeve's face. Reeve's hair is falling into his face and Adam brushes the strands behind the other boy's ear. A particularly disobedient one slips back and Adam curls it around his finger without thinking about it. Reeve sighs against his lips and it sounds like approval. And then his lips are prying Adam's open and he's pulling Adam's bottom one between his, and oh, Adam knew kisses were like this, he knew in theory, but he didn't know it would feel so good, and he finds himself trying to get closer to it, to Reeve. His free hand grabs blindly at the front of Reeve's shirt and draws him closer.

And the tip of Reeve's tongue runs along Adam's lip, and then slips forward, and Adam's own moves to meet it, and yes. This is it, kissing is awesome. Subconsciously, Adam opens his legs a little to allow the other boy to move closer and Reeve does, slotting one leg between Adam's. The palm that's still on Adam's thigh now moves to his waist, then to the small of his back. Adam's arm is now trapped between them, his fingers still curled in Reeve's shirt, but he doesn't mind at all.

He could do this forever. He would do this forever. Why had they never done this before?

But then Reeve pulls back. "Whoa, man," he says in voice full of wonder. "Are you sure you've never kissed anyone?"

When Adam, a moan on his lips because he wants to keep kissing, opens his eyes, he meets Reeve's gaze and wow, Reeve actually looks impressed. If Adam was delusional, he'd say that Reeve looks aroused, but he isn't kidding himself. Reeve has more interesting people to kiss, and most importantly, he is straight as a ruler, as far as Adam knows. He must be a step down in comparison. But he feels a little proud when Reeve doesn't offer a list of pointer for approval straight away.

"No, I'm just that good," he says with an amused smirk.

Reeve laughs. "You sure are," he says. He brushes his thumb against Adam's cheekbone and gives him one more peck, light and playful, and then he pulls away. He backs away, walking on his knees, probably to discreetly hide the boner between his legs, just like Adam's, until there's about the usual distance between them.

Adam immediately changes his position and hunches a bit in a completely useless attempt to conceal his own bulge. His face is still flushed, and his breathing is unstable. As a teenage boy, he knows that getting boners for everything is something that can't be helped. And just because Reeve also has one, it doesn't really has to mean anything...

They look at each other in silence for a moment. Adam notices that his breaths are coming shallower and faster than usual but he doesn't feel awful. His heart beats faster, too, and he feels a little light-headed.

Reeve's gaze travels the room for a few moments before it settles on Adam again. "So, you know how to kiss. No need to worry about the play now," he says.

And that's it. Time to get back to their normal activities. Wasn't he supposed to be kicking Reeve's ass at some game by now?


	2. Reeve

Reeve has made a bad life decision and now he's paying for it. Before he kissed Adam, he had never really thought about it - now he can think about little else. He thinks about it every minute of every day. He's pissed off at himself for getting into this situation and also for not having seen it earlier.

He's only now noticing so many things: just how pretty Adam's eyes are; how he bites his lip when he's focusing on something; how he brushes his hair out of his face whenever he's nervous. Reeve knew about all these things before, of course, but no they have a whole new meaning and he is a little surprised he wasn't completely gone for Adam earlier. Because Adam is beautiful in addition to being Reeve's favorite person. And now that Reeve knows how Adam's lips feel under his, and how Adam looks after he's been kissed, Reeve catches himself fantasizing about it whenever he looks at Adam.

The two weeks between their kiss and the premiere of the play – and thank god that production is very last minute – are torture. They don't see each other as much as normally, with Adam in rehearsals every afternoon and whole weekends, but being around his friend less doesn't help Reeve at all. Quite the contrary, he spends a whole lot of time thinking about Adam kissing Kathy ("It went well, man," Adam assures him when Reeve asks, and they don't talk about it any longer.). He hates the stir of jealousy every time the mental image flashes through his mind.

He has never meant for this to happen. When he offered to teach Adam how to kiss, he genuinely wanted to help him. There wasn't an ulterior motive except maybe for enjoying kissing in general. Only, kissing Adam felt so right. Like he was meant to do that his whole life, like everything led to that moment. And he wondered if Adam had felt it too, but Adam simply turned his attention to the topic of videogames and never mentioned kissing Reeve again.

And Reeve wants it to happen again so badly.

What's worse, he wants to be the only person Adam kisses – or at least the only person he kisses and means it, if Adam considers taking part in more school productions.

But he doesn't dare to say anything. How do you go about something like that, anyway? _Hey, you know how we made out that one time? Turns out, it did mean something for me. Can we do that again?_ It sounds reasonable enough in his head, but what if Adam rejects him? Or accuses him of taking advantage of Adam's distress? Or everything just turns awkward?

Reeve would prefer things to stay as they are rather than not have Adam in his life at all or with that weird tension that enters friendships when they both know one of them hopes for something else.

So he keeps it to himself for those two weeks, even if he feels like his chest might explode any minute.

* * *

On the evening of the play's premiere, Reeve finds himself in the backstage. He offers his assistance with hauling the pieces of decoration, but it turns out he isn't needed at all. So he hangs around Adam, who is staring into his scrip but his eyes don't move over the page. His face is pale and his hands are shaking just enough for Reeve to notice.

"You're going to be awesome," Reeve says and prods Adam lightly with his elbow. They're sitting on a bench in a forgotten little corner, partially hidden away from everyone else.

Adam looks up at him and smiles. "I'm not nervous," he claims and his voice is steady enough that Reeve almost believes him. But one of the things that fascinate Reeve most about his friend is Adam ability to go through with things even when he's literally shaking in his boots. Whether it's a fight or a school presentation, Adam simply lacks a flight reflex. Sure, it gets him in trouble more often than not, but it also makes him probably the bravest person Reeve knows.

"I didn't say you were." He reaches for the papers in Adam's hands to angle them towards himself and look at which scene Adam's trying to concentrate. "Wanna go through your lines again?" he suggests even though it makes his stomach churn with a sudden memory of where it led the last time.

Adam shakes his head and folds the script. "No, I'm good. I should stop reading over them anyway, I'll just work myself up."

"Right. You know them by heart by now, anyway. You've rehearsed."

"Right."

Usually silence isn't an issue between them, they can be silent together. At the moment, however, there is nervous energy in the air everywhere in the backstage and it makes the silence hang heavy above their heads. So Reeve interrupts him, the words slipping out of his mouth before he can really think them through: "What about the kissing scene? You ready for that?" He hopes he at least comes across as nonchalant when he says that. He hopes Adam can't see right through him. And he hopes he doesn't turn slightly green with jealousy at the time of Adam kissing someone else.

Adam rolls his eyes and nods. "Yeah, we've rehearsed that, too. Kathy and I. It's not like we need to make out or anything, it's barely a peck." He grins at Reeve in a way Reeve can't quite decipher. "As long as I don't, I don't know, burp in her face or something..."

Reeve chuckles. "Yeah, don't do that," he says and really tries to not thing about subtle ways to suggest they could go over the kissing thing once again. After all, it wouldn't be fair now that he knows that he really wants to kiss Adam. Kiss him to kiss him, not just for practice or something. Now it would be taking advantage. "Not that you've anything to worry about. You're good." He doesn't mean to say it with so much emphasis as he does, but it escapes his mouth. He tries to laugh it off when he sees Adam's face turn pink, and he leans into Adam's spaces playfully. He means just to nudge him, he really does, but Adam's body is warm against his and he can't help but practically melt against is side.

Adam slips his arm around Reeve's waist to make their position more comfortable and rests his cheek against Reeve's shoulder. Reeve's heart pumps faster. This is nice and just like the kissing, it feels right.

Before he has just a chance to comment on it, Ellen – the stage manager? Reeve isn't really knowledgeable about the theater work – appears in their little corner. She is smiling and bubbly but her voice is no nonsense when she speaks. "Get ready. We're starting in five," she informs Adam. "You should go find your seat," she tells Reeve, making it clear that he isn't going to watch the play from backstage. Not that he had meant to.

She leaves as suddenly as she came, a little bounce in her step.

Adam sighs. For a moment Reeve thinks the other boy might nuzzle his face into Reeve's neck, but then Adam pulls away reluctantly. "She's right," he says. His voice is quiet and his gaze meets Reeve's and Reeve suddenly can't breathe quite right.

Their faces are so close, their breaths mingle, and it feels right to move forward, to join their lips together.

Adam responds to the kiss so instantly he gives Reeve no time for doubts. It's warm and gentle and neither of them tries to deepen it, but Adam lifts his hand to touch Reeve's jaw lightly and Reeve rests his palm on Adam's waist.

His heart is racing and it's as if the whole world is spinning a little faster than usual but also like everything simply falls into the right place.

When they pull apart, Adam gives Reeve a rueful smile. "I've to go."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. I'll meet you afterwards?" Reeve asks and gets up to his feet before offering Adam his hand. Adam's accepts it and Reeve hauls him up.

"Of course."

It should be awkward. It should be awkward, and they should be blushing and stuttering and avoiding each other's eyes... but it simply isn't. Reeve's face is warm and Adam's is red, but they're both smiling and their smiles are growing by second.

Adam closes the distance between them one last time and pecks Reeve's cheek before they leave in the opposite directions.

Reeve feels light and happy and like he could conquer the world, or maybe just did.

* * *

The audience is filled mostly with parents and siblings, though there's an occasional friend or a significant other. Reeve exchanges nods and waves with people he knows, but takes seat next to Adam's mom. She smiles at him and laughs cheerfully.

His cheek still tingles where Adam has pressed his lips. He keeps touching the spot with his fingers even after the play has begun.

Adam doesn't have a huge role and mostly appears in the background, is sort of a footnote to Kathy's character's story, but the fact that he is there at all is the most redeemable quality of the play. Then again, Reeve has seen the school's drama club do worse before and it's mostly just the script that sucks; the actors all do their best.

But then there's the kissing scene and Reeve actually closes his eyes. He doesn't want to feel jealous, and it's stupid that it makes him uncomfortable, but he can't help it.

To his surprise, Adam’s mom puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

* * *

Afterwards, they meet Adam outside the auditorium. He looks cheerful and the genuine happiness is a good look on him. Reeve just wants to kiss him again, preferably pressed against the nearest wall. They simply stare at each other silently with grins plastered on their faces.

Then his mom clears her throat.

"I'm going to start the car, sweetie." she says and leaves them to it. Reeve wonders if she's always been so perceptive or whether living with Adam made her so... or maybe the two of them are being obvious.

"You were great," he breaks the silence. There're other things he wants to talk about, but he doesn't know where to start.

Adam snorts. "It was terrible."

"The play, maybe. But you were great, man…"

"We'd better hurry," Adam says, even though all he wants is a moment longer with Adam and no one else. "My mom is waiting for us."

Adam nods and they move towards the front door, walking shoulder to shoulder. Reeve allows himself a few moments of gathering the courage, but before they step outside he asks: "So, am I…?"

"Are you what?" Adam asks, turning to him with a curious expression.

"Your boyfriend."

With a spark of surprise in his eyes, Adam says: "If you want to be."

"Yeah, I wanna," Reeve answers and he can't repress a goofy grin.

"Then you are," Adam says as if it was simple like that.

Maybe it is. It's them, after all. And maybe it's still the high from the evening; maybe the awkwardness and questioning and are you sure's are all yet to come. For the time being, however, it doesn't matter.

"We have to tell Mira, though."

They come to the car holding hands. Adam’s mom gives them a knowing smile.


End file.
